While many people are afraid of going to the dentist, being told you need a root canal can be even scarier if you don’t know what to expect before the procedure. To ease your fears, the friendly staff at Enterprise, AL’s William B. Collier Jr. DMD discusses exactly what you can expect at your appointment and why you shouldn’t fear your root canal below.

Know Before You Go: Root Canals

High Success Rate

Root canals are performed when a simple cavity becomes so deep it starts to allow bacteria into the tooth, causing an infection. Your dentist recommends the treatment in an attempt to keep the tooth in your mouth, since it would otherwise be extracted. Because of new techniques in cleaning, sterilization, and filling, root canal procedures almost always allow you to keep the tooth.

Two-Step Procedure

Before going into your root canal appointment, it is important to know it is going to take the dentist two different procedures on two different days to effectively remove the bacteria from your tooth. During the first procedure, you can expect the dentist to go in and remove the bits of bacteria from the dental pulp in your tooth while filling it with a medicated root filling. This filling takes time to kill the rest of the bacteria in your tooth, so you’ll need to return to the dentist in a few days for the second step of the procedure. During the second treatment, the dentist will give you a final filling to prevent further bacteria from getting inside your tooth.

Pain & Swelling

Done under a local anesthetic, you should not expect to feel pain during either of your procedures. There may be slight pressure during and after, but following treatment, many patients feel less pain than before because part of the nerve is removed. Swelling is a common side effect of a root canal and is to be expected.

If you’re in need of a dental procedure, look no further than the professional staff at William B. Collier Jr. DMD to provide superior oral care services. Located in Enterprise, Alabama, this family dentist office specializes in root canals, cosmetic dentistry, and crowns. To make an appointment, give them a call at (334) 347-5026 or visit them online.